Changes
by Vianerd
Summary: Oneshot, drabble. Conker has known Berri since their childhood and the two are feeling closer than ever. But the lady she's turning into is a far cry from the little chipmunk she used to be, the one Conker saved from the Evil Acorn's clutches all those years ago...


Conker was feeling great.  
The sun above Willow Woods shone brightly and illuminated his coat, which was fading to a darker colour every day. It went as slow as it could be imagined, but it happened, and he was glad it did. A darker shade of red, or maybe lighter – something close to orange, perhaps, seemed a lot more mature and grown-up than the fiery red shade his coat had when he was eight years old.  
He wasn't eight years old anymore. He was seventeen now – a bright young age where you're still discovering new things, but at the same time nearing the end of your long road to adulthood. As he picked up his pace through the damp grass, overshadowed by the weeping willows that gave the place its name – he thought of if his changing colours were of any significance towards him being almost an adult. Kind of like the seasons.  
But right now, the chipper young squirrel was on his way to meet his girlfriend – Berri. She was just like him. A happy little squirrel who loved to explore the hills and dales of the valley they both took residence in, going on adventures with her best friend (who, by the way, was now her boyfriend.)  
At least, she used to. Lately, she didn't want to go outside as much anymore and preferred to stay inside and do things girls usually did. Conker figured it was just a phase she was going through. He'd never understand girls. He loved them, but he'd never understand.  
Finally, he had reached her home. He knocked three times on the oaken door and bounced around impatiently, waiting for someone to open so he could quickly say 'hi', slip past them, and eventually, ascend the creaking stairs which would lead to Berri's room.  
He knew it all by heart. After all, the two were rather close. Discovering their true feelings didn't come over them by surprise, at all. It just sort of happened, and they were both okay with it. Conker made sure to visit her every other day whenever he got the chance.  
The door opened, Conker uttered a quick 'hi' to whoever it was that opened – it could've been either her brother or her father, after so many years he still didn't know the difference between them – and zipped up the stairs.  
Again, he knocked the door that was in front of him out of politeness, but this time, he opened it up himself.  
But what he saw there was like nothing he remembered seeing before.  
There was Berri, his best friend, his girlfriend. Sitting on her bed, minding her own business, nosing in her girly magazines. Except for one little detail; her brown hair on her head was now _blonde_. A bright, yellow colour that made her hair look like a cheap wig.  
"Oh, hey, Conker! I was hoping you'd come!" she said without looking up from the magazine. "Like, I dyed my hair."  
Conker wasn't sure if this was actually Berri or just another obscure relative of hers. He blinked twice and rubbed his eyes. Certainly, it was her. It was absurd. "I… I can see that?" he uttered in confusion. "But… why?"  
She finally placed her magazine aside and stood up, walking towards Conker. It still astounded him how she was on her way to become twice as tall as he was himself. He didn't mind that. In fact, he kind of liked it. But why that hair colour…  
"I guess I was just bored of, like, being a brunette," she shrugged. "Like, do you like it? I'm thinking of dying my fur as well..."  
Oh, gosh. Was she really being serious? He couldn't imagine Berri as anything else than brown-furred. "Y-yeah, it looks great!" Conker said quickly, and he swallowed, twitching his tail and rubbing the back of his head. Usually he was pretty honest. But he just… wasn't expecting this. He wasn't expecting himself to lie to his girlfriend's face, either. "Looks great, it really does."  
Berri smiled and scooped her short little boyfriend up in a hug. "Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you! You're the sweetest."  
"Yeah… I know."  
Conker tried to supress his feelings of guilt, and wondered if maybe, just maybe, it would be better if he just was honest about Berri changing the way she looked – the way he knew her.  
But then, she was just as much going through changes as he was himself.  
Maybe he'd be honest about it later.  
Sometime.  
Someday.  
_I guess there's a lot of things I'm picking up on, _Conker thought. _But I'll never understand girls…_


End file.
